Gautam Satyavan Kadam
Out of all the spiders, tarantulas are in great demand for pet trading across the globe due to their body size, attractiveness, and longevity. The selected tarantulas, the Salem Ornamental Tarantula and the Peacock Tarantula, are endemic to the Eastern Ghats of India and are only found in limited regions within the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, facing serious threats due to habitat degradation and pet trade. Although both species seem to have a restricted yet widespread distribution within these areas, there are no documented sightings of these tarantulas in their type localities since their initial discovery.
Peacock Tarantula (P. metalica.). ©Aravindh Aathi.
The international pet trade poses a significant threat to these species, pushing them toward extinction (Molur et al., 2008). Despite their popularity in the pet trade, anthropogenic pressures and habitat degradation increase their risk. A recent study recorded the Salem Ornamental Tarantula living on the tree species, Commiphora caudata, which is common in the region but, beyond this, there is a lack of ecological data available for these tarantulas (Kishor & Roopha, 2022).
The growing trade of tarantulas has prompted the Sri Lankan government, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to propose the inclusion of the Poecilotheria genus in the CITES Appendices. Additionally, the Invertebrate Conservation Network of South Asia has conducted Red List assessments for fourteen species, including these two species, classifying the Salem Ornamental Tarantula as Endangered and the Peacock Tarantula as Critically Endangered. However, there is still a critical gap in ecological data and conservation implementation for these species, which underlines the urgency of assessing their conservation status and implementing measures to protect them.
This critical status is a result of habitat degradation from activities like firewood lopping, timber cutting and insurgents relying on forest resources, and the illegal trade poses to further jeopardize the population. These spiders, dependent on cavities, deep crevices and natural burrows of (potentially specific) tree species in old growth forest conditions are particularly vulnerable. The conservation initiative aims to protect not only the tarantula species but also associated tree species. This, in turn, supports the diverse flora and fauna that depend on this ecosystem for their survival. This initiative involves the study of habitat preferences, distribution, habitat management plans, building knowledge and capacity for tarantula identification, and illegal trade monitoring, thereby increasing stakeholders’ interest in conservation. The goal is to understand more about this lesser-known taxon, ultimately enhancing conservation efforts for overall biodiversity conservation.
To address these critical conservation challenges, this study proposes to investigate distribution, macrohabitat study and a plan for habitat enhancement.